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Ghost Company on Freya VII
+++Freya VII, Subsector Tyranus, Sector Deus, Segmentum Obscurus +++ +++088.333.M41+++ Eight Imperial Valkyries screamed across the skies above the arid deadlands of Freya VII, flanked by half a dozen Thunderbolts as they sped towards their objective, an encampment of Red Giants Chaos Marines who had been conducting raids against civilian settlements that eke out a living within the dry, rocky province known as the Deadlands. The Red Giants have long been a thorn in the side of the planet’s PDF, the many gorges and caverns of the deadlands giving them ample cover from orbital scans. Fortunately for the Imperials, they received a visit from a Space Marine Librarian a few days ago, his name was Trianon, and he used his psychic abilities to locate the Red Giants encampment, as well as providing six Space Marines of his chapter to join the assault on the traitors. Inside the lead Valkyrie, illuminated by eerie red lighting, Scout Master Geron ran through the mission plan to the five Revenants in front of him, using the interactive map displayed inside their helmets: “Okay, once we land, disembark and make towards this ridgeline, as soon as the Valkyrie departs we activate our cloaks. Solenos: you, Turiel and Kargos provide cover fire while Prekan, Kurt and I flank the enemy. Once the immediate resistance is cleared we’ll advance further into the encampment, Trianon estimated about thirty or so Red Giants and hundreds of cultists festering throughout the terrain in this area, but if we push deep into the heart of their territory the target should make his presence known. Turiel, you’ll only have one chance, so make it count.” Turiel took the sanctified bolt from his belt pouch, crafted from silver and etched in holy wards it would spell doom for the target should it make contact. He placed it back in the pouch as Geron continued: “Meanwhile, the Imperial Guard forces will surround the encampment, and as soon as we transmit that our mission is complete, they’ll close in and slaughter what remains.” The other seven Valkyries broke off to the sides towards their respective landing zones, whilst the one containing the Space Marines continued straight on. Suddenly the Valkyrie began shuddering violently as explosions erupted in the air around the craft. Two Thunderbolts came arcing through the air and unleashed their missiles at the two concealed Hydra emplacements that had opened up on the Valkyrie, reducing them to scrap, the Valkyrie began descending as the pilot announced into the troop compartment: “We’re approaching the landing zone milords.” The Valkyrie approached the ground, descending into a gorge as it prepared for a sliding landing onto the flat plateau at the end that had been chosen as a landing spot. Unfortunately, a Red Giant emerged from his burrow in the gorge wall and levelled his missile launcher at the Valkyrie as it passed. Inside the craft the Space Marines had braced for the hard touchdown when a terrific explosion erupted from the rear, the traitor’s missile had taken off most of the back half of the vehicle, and Revenant Prekan, who was closest to the gaping hole now left where the rear door had once been was flung out of the tumbling craft and landed heavily on the gorge floor below. The Valkyrie continued its fall towards the plateau and slammed down heavily, it slid across the flat surface before coming to rest with a painful groan of tortured metal. The five remaining Revenants tore their way out of the twisted fuselage as Geron gave orders: “Make for the ridgeline now!” He briefly checked the two pilots but they had both been killed by the heavy landing, following his men to the shallow ridgeline, which was about four feet high, he spoke into his vox: “Prekan, what is your situation?” Back inside the gorge, Prekan hauled himself off the floor and responded: “Argh. I’ll live, moving to rejoin you brother.” Prekan hefted his shotgun and started running through the deep gorge, anxious to get into the fight. But, unbeknownst to him, the eyes of the enemy watched him from the sides of the gorge. Back at the ridge, the Revenants were under heavy fire, they activated the advanced cloaking mechanisms within their advanced armour, and Sergeant Solenos appraised the situation: “Three Heavy Bolter turrets, about eight Red Giants and a few dozen cultists, all behind a sandbag perimeter.” Geron nodded: “Good. We’ll have to carry on with the plan without Prekan, lay down cover fire and Kurt and I will move down the side.” Solenos and Kargos began pouring fire from their Boltguns into the enemy, while Turiel took careful aim with his Stalker Bolter, picking the heads off cultists and Red Giants alike as they presented them. Geron and Kurt sprinted across the side of the battlefield, dodging errant fire, and leapt over the sandbagged camp perimeter, and directly onto a pair of cultists who were subsequently crushed under their boots. Geron drew his Boltgun and Kurt his Plasma Gun, and the pair advanced down the line massacring the defenders as they went. Caught entirely off-guard by the two invisible Space Marines tearing into them from the side, the traitors were scythed down by the screeching bolts and blazing plasma in a matter of moments. Geron voxed back to the other marines whilst Kurt executed the few heretics still alive: “It’s clear over here, move in.” Solenos, Kargos and Turiel swiftly joined Geron and Kurt beyond the sandbags, Geron inquired: “Where’s Prekan?” Prekan was, in fact, still in the gorge, fighting furiously as wave after wave of leering cultists poured into the gorge from adjacent caves and tunnel systems hewn into the rock. He backed down the gorge towards the mouth as he pumped explosive flechettes into the encroaching horde, decimating them by the dozen. Yet still they charged towards the cloaked Revenant, inaccurate Lasgun beams began impacting Prekan as the cultists followed the source of his fire, he had to change his strategy. Firing his shotgun into the gorge walls around him, the flechettes exploded and began dislodging large amounts of rock, crushing many of the cultists but not halting them. Taking a Melta-bomb from his belt, Prekan hurriedly primed it and hurled it into one of the shallow holes his fire had created in the gorge-side, it landed perfectly and detonated with a terrific blast. Prekan turned away from the cultists and began springing away from the tumbling gorge behind him, as countless tonnes of stone tore away from the walls and crashed into the gorge floor with a thunderous rumble, flattening the majority of the cultists chasing him and blocking the path for any more. As he fled Prekan was struck by a massive boulder and smashed into the ground, his cloak flickered and died from the trauma and Prekan lay out on the ground, flickering around the edges of unconsciousness. After a precious few seconds, Prekan’s wits partially returned to him and he struggled back up to his feet, he looked around for his fallen shotgun, only to be assailed by seven cultists who had managed to get through the rock-fall unscathed. They leapt on him and clung doggedly onto his armour, seeking the vulnerable armour joints with their chain-daggers. Prekan furiously tried to tear them off himself, seizing one cultist holding on to his leg by the head, Preken pulled him off and shook him so violently the body tore away, Prekan then smashed the decapitated head into the face of another cultist on his shoulder, killing him instantly. Prekan fell to one knee as a cultist’s chain-dagger tore into the joint behind his knee and the heretics screeched in perceived victory as they redoubled their efforts. Prekan coughed up blood as a chain-dagger was plunged into the side of his torso, the thick crimson liquid pooled in his helmet and blocked his vision. Prekan roared in defiance and forced himself back to a stand, he ripped off his helmet and slammed it into the head of the cultist twisting a chain-dagger inside his midsection. Leaning forwards he threw the cultist tearing into his back onto the ground in front of him, Prekan grabbed her at her feet and shoulders, lifted her above his head and pulled with all his might. The heretic squealed for a moment before she was torn in two. Seeing the roaring face of the Space Marine covered in the flowing gore of their comrade, the remaining three cultists took flight and furiously scrambled up the massive pile of fallen rock and crushed bodies to escape the vengeful marine. Prekan spied his fallen shotgun on the ground a small distance away, casually strolling over to it and picking it up, he took aim and fired. The cultists were peppered with the explosive darts, arching their backs in pain a microsecond before the flechettes detonated and turned them into scraps of flesh. Prekan retrieved his helmet and wiped as much of the blood out as he could before replacing it on his head. Suddenly remembering the mission, he turned away from the scene of carnage and resumed his run to the mouth of the gorge and the rest of his squad. Reaching the mouth of the gorge, Prekan saw the downed Valkyrie, fearing the worst he sprinted to the smoking vehicle and hauled aside errant wreckage to get to the troop bay. Relieved to find it empty, Prekan heard distant gunfire beyond the ridgeline. Leaping over the ridge onto the dusty plain in front of the sandbagged perimeter, he charged after the sounds with all haste. The other five Revenants were advancing into the heart of the heretic encampment, using their invisibility to the maximum advantage, they dashed from cover to cover between the makeshift huts of the base, which formed a veritable labyrinth of corrugated metal and ferro-crete, and unleashed deadly accurate fire at the infuriated Red Giants guarding the central bunker, who were behind heavy barricades and surrounded by the bodies of their cultists, who had swiftly fallen in the face of the Revenants. As the Revenants pushed further forwards, the traitor marines they were already facing were bolstered by reinforcements from other sections of the camp, several Havocs wielding Autocannons and Heavy Bolters took positions in front of the large concrete bunker in the centre of the camp, along with an Assault Cannon wielding Terminator, and opened fire at the Revenant’s general location. The air around the Revenants was filled with shells and they were forced to cease their advance and dive for cover. Solenos, ever of a tactical mind, took cover behind large metal crate and voxed to Geron, who was in cover with Kargos behind a nearby hut which was slowly being eaten away by the enemy fire: “Brother, smash through that hut with Kargos, when you go out the other side, turn right, there’s a way up onto the roofs of the huts, then you should be able to get behind the traitors.” Geron wasted no time, signalling for Kargos to follow he barged into the hut wall shoulder-first and smashed through. Inside the hut, errant shells flew in and ricocheted around inside, the effect of which could already be observed by the shredded remains of a heretic family that had been huddled in the corner before the shells of their own masters tore them apart, The angry buzzing off the wayward rounds added haste to the Revenants and Geron began kicking away the opposite wall as fast as he could, after a few good kicks there was a sizeable hole in the wall and the two carried on through. Geron saw the way up Solenos had told him, corpses that looked to be sacrifice victims that had been piled up against a wall. Clambering to the top of the festering and bloody pile, Geron boosted Kargos up to the roofs, and Kargos in turn pulled Geron up after him, now on the roofs, the pair leapt between buildings and made their way towards the Red Giants around the central bunker. Solenos, Turiel and Kurt were attempting to return fire on the Red Giants but the enemy simply had too much gun, the Revenants could barely peak over their cover without a shell grazing their helmet. Geron’s voice crackled over the vox: “We’re in position brothers, we could use a distraction.” Solenos took a blind grenade from his belt and signalled for the other two to follow suit, the three pulled the pins and hurled them towards the Red Giants. They exploded with a terrific burst of visible and infrared radiation, dazing the heretics and halting their fire for a moment. Geron and Kargos leapt from the roof of a nearby hut and onto a pair of Red Giants wielding Heavy Bolters, Geron led with his power dagger and plunged it straight down into the head of one, then drew his bolt pistol and blasted at a nearby marine, turning his head into a crimson mush. Kargos, meanwhile, had slammed feet first into the marine he landed on and knocked him to the ground, snatching the heretics heavy bolter he used it on the prone Red Giant at his feet, what remained after the burst of fire was barely identifiable as a Space Marine. Turning the Heavy Bolter on the packed Red Giants nearby, he tore into them from the side with the fusillade of heavy fire, tearing flesh and dismembering limbs with the high-calibre shells. Geron faced the opposite direction to Kargos and charged down the entrenchments to engage the Red Giants in close-combat, his long power dagger hissed balefully as he plunged it into the heretics who attempted to swing at the invisible marine, and his bolt pistol barked as he shot the enemies beyond the reach of his dagger. Hearing the commotion, Solenos, Turiel and Kurt charged towards the barricades and clambered over. Dropping in next to Kargos they joined him in pouring fire into the devastated Red Giants, several of whom were banging furiously on the metal bunker entrance, demanding to be let in. The Revenants showed them no mercy and they were silenced by hails of bolts and plasma. Geron had dispatched all of the Power-Armoured Red Giants he had engaged, but now he encountered the Terminator, clearly some kind of commander. Seeing the invisible force approaching through movements of debris on the ground, the Terminator discarded his Assault Cannon and drew a glowing red Power Sword from its sheath, slicing at Geron as he did. Geron leaned back as the sword swung towards him, the power field around the sword tip sizzling the surface of his armour as it passed a fraction of an inch away from his neck, the power field interfered badly with the suits cloaking system and Geron flashed into visibility. Seeing his foe clearly, the heretic followed with a heavy strike with his power fist, Geron rolled to the side as the power fist slammed into the ground he had just been occupying, tearing a massive gouge into the rock. The sword flashed at Geron once more but this time he brought up his dagger and blocked the blade, Geron deflected the sword to the side and its tip stuck in the ground, he put one foot on the blade and pushed off, letting the clumsy power fist pass below him as it swung. Geron slammed his feet down onto the hilt of the power sword as he landed, breaking it in two, before spinning round and plunging his dagger into the Terminator’s eye. The mass of metal and traitor teetered in space for a moment before tumbling backwards and slamming into the ground. Geron retrieved his dagger from the corpse with disgust, just as the other four Revenants came running round the bunker, Geron remarked: “Took your time then brothers?” Solenos chuckled: “We would have been here sooner but we figured you could use the practice, you’ve been a little rusty ever since you died for a little bit.” “Eurgh, don’t remind me of that day brother, it’s something I hope never happens again.” Kargos interjected: “Hey, at least Filios said he was sorry and offered you a fist fight, knowing full well he’d get a beating.” Geron nodded as the Revenants formed up around the door to the bunker: “I suppose so, I couldn’t take him up on it though, you just don’t punch an Apothecary.” It was at this moment that Prekan dropped in from over the barricades and rejoined the squad: “Didn’t leave any for me!?” Turiel replied: “Well you probably shouldn’t have spent so long sightseeing! What took you so long? Find a whorehouse in that gorge?! I thought you only used the ones on Mormark, like that time we were wandering around Kanihirium....” Prekan retorted: “Hey! I told you I wasn’t there on purpose, I got lost!” Whilst the other Revenant’s laughed at Prekan’s excuse, Geron saw blood dripping from the side of his torso and realised how badly mangled his armour was: “What happened?” “A horde of cultists came out of the caves in that gorge, I had to bring down half the cliff to stop them but a few jumped me, they didn’t last long but the bastards did some damage, though I’ve healed up fine.” Geron was still concerned: “With damage like that your cloak won’t work. You’ll have to stay here whilst we go in.” Prekan’s head fell, he knew Geron was right, but he was still furious at the thought of not going in with the others: “But...I have to! What he did to my comrades....” Geron patted Prekan on the shoulder: “I’m sorry brother, but this is how it must be.” Prekan raised his head and recounted the words Scout Master Geron had drilled into him over years of training: “The mission comes first.” Geron nodded approvingly: “The mission comes first.” Geron went back to the door and planted a shaped melta charge on it, Kargos readied a blind grenade as the rest aimed their weapons at the door. They activated their cloaks as Geron pulled the pin on the melta charge and stepped back, after a few seconds the charge exploded and the thick metal door was blasted inwards. Kargos tossed the grenade into the smoking entrance and the squad turned away as it flashed, inaccurate lasgun fire erupted from inside so Solenos fired his auxiliary grenade launcher in, silencing it, and then the five marines charged forwards, guns blazing, with Prekan staying outside by the door. After a brief fire-fight Geron shouted out: “Anyone hit?” The other four marines in the bunker confirmed their wellbeing, so Geron checked on the enemy. Four Red Giants and about two dozen cultists, behind makeshift barriers hastily constructed around the entrance, lay dead on the ground, and footsteps could be heard fleeing down the single passageway out of the entrance room, leading further into the bunker. Geron set off in pursuit: “This way, quickly brothers” The Revenants made their way down the passage, weapons raised. As they turned a corner to face down a long stretch of corridor with several adjacent rooms, they head dark voices echoing down to them, one noticeably harsher than the rest: “You said they’d be here soon you fool!” “T-t-they should be my lord!” “GAH, worthless bungler! Did you see how many there were?!” “I-....er.....” “So, you couldn’t even hold your nerve long enough to see the corpse-worshipping scum?! You worthless little maggot!” “They blinded me my lord! I couldn’t see anything! I-...no...please....have mercy!” The harsh screech of a chainsword filled the corridors, followed by a terrified scream and sickening splattering sounds. Then the harsh voice echoed out once more: “Keep your eyes on the passageway dogs!” The five Revenants eased themselves down the corridor carefully, with barely a rush of air betraying their presence, as they passed the open doors they saw numerous cultists inside, awaiting orders to shoot down the passage. They reached the last adjacent door and saw the Red Giant inside, the mangled corpse of the unfortunate cultist he had just executed at his feet, with a squad of live cultists attempting to avoid the Chaos Marine at the door. Geron nodded to the others and they turned around, pointing their guns down the corridor in the direction they just came from. Geron drew his dagger and plunged it into the Red Giant’s neck, ripping it to the side and severing every joint between body and brain. As the traitor crumpled to the floor Geron raised his boltgun and opened fire on the surprised cultists, turning them to a bloody mess. Hearing the commotion, the cultists in the rooms the Revenants had already passed charged into the corridor, shooting madly at the corner junction the Space Marines had come from, assuming they opened fire from there. In doing so, they were facing in completely the opposite direction to the Revenant’s actual location. Within a matter of seconds all the cultists were torn to shreds by the hail of fire raining on them from behind. The squad pressed further on into the bunker, encountering no further resistance until they reached the end of the corridor and a large metal door. Geron quickly surmised the situation: “This should be the command room, the target should be in here.” Solenos spoke up: “Not sure I like all those ‘shoulds’ brother.” Geron nodded: “You think I do? Not much else for it though. There’ll be several traitors watching the door, and the moment we open it up they’ll fire, and we’ve no cover.” Kurt pitched in: “Let’s just make some.” After a few minutes the Revenants had piled up the bodies of the Red Giants they had killed in the bunker up in front of the door. Geron gently rotated the door locking wheel until it was fully unlocked, the Revenants crouched down behind the bodies and Geron prepared to kick open the door, whilst Turiel took out the sanctified bolt round and loaded it into his Stalker Bolter. Geron gave a silent countdown with his fingers: three......two......one....... Geron kicked the door wide open and all hell broke loose, dozens of Lasbeams thudded into the body pile whilst bolt rounds blew chunks from away from it. Hurling the rest of their grenades, the Revenants aimed over the pile as they detonated, Geron swiftly counted about fifteen Red Giants and thirty cultists within the large circular command room, who were behind thick planning tables toppled on their sides. Unleashing a withering fusillade into the defenders, the Revenants fought with excessively practised tactics, Kurt used his Plasma Gun to melt holes in the enemy’s cover and the rest poured fire into the gaps before the foe had a chance to relocate. Turiel meanwhile was constantly scanning the area for any signs of the target, but he seemed to be absent from the fight, ‘what a coward’, Turiel thought to himself. Suddenly a crazed Red Giant wielding a chainsword charged from behind his cover and sprinted at the Revenants. They poured bolts into him and Kurt even took off his left arm before he reached them, but the distance was short and his momentum was great. Leaping over the bodies of his comrades, chainsword outstretched, the berserker ploughed straight into Kargos, the traitor’s weapon embedding deep into his abdomen. Kargos let out a roar of pain as Geron hauled the Red Giant off him and prepared to kill him with his dagger, only the find the heretic had already died from his grievous wounds. Solenos dragged Kargos away from the door and examined him, the chainsword had passed right through, though it had missed any vital organs, it couldn’t be pulled out due to the serrated teeth causing more damage. Geron paused from firing at the defenders to inquire: “How is he?” Solenos replied: “He’ll live but I can’t take this chainsword out here, he’ll need the Apothecaries for that.” Kargos protested: “Just remove it now brother!” Solenos refused: “Don’t be a fool Kargos, I could tear out half your spine with it.” Kargos growled in anger, but knew Solenos was right: “Emperor damn it.....” Kargos sat slumped awkwardly against the wall, the chainsword protruding from his back forcing him to twist to the side. Solenos went back to the doorway and rejoined the others in combat, by now the Red Giant bodies they had used as a makeshift barricade were falling apart from the fire they had taken, and all the Revenant’s cloaks had failed from the impacts of lucky Lasgun and Boltgun hits, while the defender’s cover was full of steaming holes caused by Kurt’s plasma. Solenos made an observation: “We’re can’t keep this up, they have us outnumbered, outgunned AND they know our location. We need to change the situation.” Geron had heard that tone in Solenos’ voice before: “What do you have in mind brother?” Solenos smiled beneath his helmet: “Give me a breaching charge....” The Red Giants and cultists inside the command room noticed the enemy had stopped returning fire. They took the chance to reload their weapons and took more careful aim into the doorway, waiting for one of them to raise a head so it could be picked off. Suddenly a colossal explosion rang through the bunker complex and the mass of torn-apart Red Giant corpses at the door, along with the relatively intact berserker, were blown inwards with extreme force. Shards of armour, along with limbs and body parts flew into the room at a tremendous speed, forcing everyone within to seek cover, most of the Red Giants ducked their heads in time, but a few took large pieces of shrapnel in the face and neck, and one was killed when half a shattered Tibia bone flew into his eye and straight through into his brain. The cultists, with their inferior reflexes, fared much worse, with most of them killed instantly by the hail of razor sharp debris, and the few who got into cover fast enough were badly maimed by shrapnel ricocheting off the walls. Geron and the other three able-bodied Revenants charged in immediately after the bodies exploded, smashing into the barricades and engaging in close quarters combat, a range at which they were most proficient. Geron went to work with his dagger, Solenos loaded up a krak grenade into his launcher and fired it straight into a Red Giants chest before opening fire with his boltgun, and Turiel used his bolt pistol, his skills as a sniper translating into close quarters as every shot hit a foe straight in the eye or neck. Kurt, however, was by far the most deadly, his Plasma Gun’s main limitation was its accuracy at range, but in these conditions he couldn’t miss, the gun hissed dangerously as it unleashed multiple superheated pulses, turning traitor marines into steaming piles of molten metal and ash. Nevertheless, his luck ran out eventually and the Plasma Gun began to overheat, throwing off errant jets of plasma as it attempted to expel the excess heat. Fortunately Kurt, as a tech-expert, quickly ejected the two hydogen flasks and replaced them with coolant canisters, an act which required perfect timing to insert the canisters before the flask sockets filled with plasma. The only way to judge the timing is by listening to the pitch of the escaping gas, no easy task, so for most the advisable course of action is to abandon the weapon. Whilst his weapon rapidly cooled, Kurt drew his pistol and helped finish off the few remaining enemies. Soon the battle was over, and they four marines began executing the wounded heretics. Kargos staggered to the door, leaning on the frame as he observed the command room: “Damn.....” Geron replied: “It’s a pretty scene isn’t it brother? You should make your way back and join Prekan outside if you feel up to it, and really, don’t try to pull that thing out.” Kargos scoffed and muttered to himself as he painstakingly made his way back along the corridors: “Gah.......just a chainsword.......damn heretics......” The other four cautiously advanced deeper into the command room, navigating vast desks of monitors and communications equipment, they approached the centre of the room. For some reason all the lights around the central mapping table had been turned off. Expecting the worst, Turiel knelt down and raised his Stalker Bolter with the sanctified bolt round, waiting for his comrades to locate the target. Geron signalled for Kurt and Solenos to take firing positions along with Turiel, and padded towards the dark centre, dagger at the ready, more softly that he had ever crept before. Step by agonising step, he approached the table, of which the opposite side was still completely obscured in darkness. All four marines held their breath as Geron arrived at the table, all expecting at any moment for a bolt of eldritch fire to incinerate them. Instead, a dark, evil rumble of laughter hissed from the darkness: “Hahahahahahah, the dogs come to claim their prize......” Outside the bunker, Prekan was sat idly on the corpse of a Red Giant, his shotgun by his side, and blood dripped down his chin as he munched on a Cultist’s heart like an apple. “No matter how many time I see you do that it always perturbs me brother.” Prekan turned to see Kargos emerging from the bunker, chainsword and all: “By the Emperor! What happened?!” Kargos grimaced as he explained: “Bastard heretic slammed into me, despite being half torn apart....” Prekan moved to seize the handle of the weapon: “Well we’ve gotta get it out so you can heal!” Kargos pushed his hand away and explained depressively: “No, Solenos said it could be caught around my spine of something....It’ll have to wait until the Apothecaries can have a look.” Prekan sat back down and motioned for Kargos to join him, before taking a fresh bite from the heart. Distant gunfire could be heard in the distance, the Imperial Guard engaging the defenders around the perimeter of the base. Kargos remarked: “When the traitors get too whittled down at the perimeter they’ll fall back here brother.” Prekan nodded: “I know....I know...but what can we do but hold them off until the others are done?” Kargos reloaded his Boltgun: “Good point.” As if on cue the shouts of cultists drew closer, indicating they were beginning their retreat. Prekan discarded the half-eaten heart and knelt down behind the high barricade that surrounded the bunker: “I’ve opened up gaps in the behind the barricade on the other sides, to get to the door they’ll be running round these corners where they’ll be bottlenecked. When they come we’ll take cover in the door frame and shoot opposite ways.” Kargos picked up a fallen chain-dagger and began sawing off the ends of the protruding chainsword, mumbling to himself as he did: “Can’t take cover with this thing sticking outta me.....” Back inside the bunker, Geron roared back at the evil voice: “Show yourself, cowardly scum!” A mocking cackle arose from the darkness: “Oh such pitiful fools. So close, but so far.” Suddenly the lights above the table activated, presenting the grim scene. Sat at the table, on the opposite side to Geron, was a catatonic Imperial Astropath of a low rank, most likely a battlefield communications advisor, who had thick wire running from his head, across the floor, leading to long-range communications arrays. Geron roared back: “Stop this trickery Ashkenor! Where are you?!” The Astropath let out the same raspy, foul voice they had been hearing: “Still haven’t pieced it together I see? I don’t know why I expected better of you curs.” Solenos spoke up: “The Sorcerer was never here brother, he’s just been using this Astropath as a puppet, presumably controlling him over long ranges using this equipment.” Ashkenor’s ragdoll laughed: “Finally, they see! Well, seeing your incompetence has been enjoyable, but I cannot stay. Enjoy this parting gift!” A tortured scream erupted from the Astropath, not in the raspy tone, but in a regular voice, as his torso suddenly imploded. He was forcibly curled up and crushed as his head and legs were dragged into the swirling energy within, until there was just the single shining point of warp energy floating in space. With a terrific crash, a Khornate Bloodletter materialised from the energy and with a blaring screech charged towards Geron, blade ready to strike. Geron rolled to the side and unloaded his bolt pistol into the daemon, it survived the fusillade but was its charge was halted, giving Solenos and Kurt a chance to open fire on it, whilst Turiel ejected the valuable sanctified bolt, took aim and fired at the beast’s head. Torn apart under the wave of fire, the Bloodletter roared in anger before it exploded in a blaze of hellfire and returned to its own dimension. Geron slammed his fist on the table: “Dammit!” Solenos spoke into his vox on an alternate channel: “Guardsmen, begin your assault, leave none alive.” Gunfire echoed from down the passageways, indicating the entrance was under attack, so the four marines took off back down the corridors to help in the defence. When they reached to doorway they found Prekan and Kargos fighting furiously to hold off the horde of cultists and Red Giants trying to retake the bunker, their only hope to withstand the approaching hammer of the Emperor. With the added fire of their reinforcements, the Revenants massacred the scrabbling foes until their bodies began piling up so high their comrades couldn’t pass. A voice crackled over the vox: “Milords, this is Colonel MacMillan, we have artillery zeroed on the central bunker, requesting permission to fire” Geron replied: “Load your guns with shells that won’t penetrate the bunker Colonel, we are inside, surrounded by enemies just outside.” “Roger that milord, firing!” The Revenants retreated back into the bunker as a distant rumble thundered from over the horizon. Geron and Solenos seized a large metal panel the Red Giants had used in their makeshift barricade and held it tight against the blown-in doorframe. The Basilisk shells wailed uproariously as they descended, exploding in the air just before they hit the ground. The makeshift door shuddered against the airbursts but stood firm, as the dying screams of the enemy could be heard from outside. After a about thirty seconds the bombardment ceased. Letting the panel fall, the Revenants made their way out into the sunlight to observe the damage. The barricades had been blow apart, and the bodies of dead cultists carpeted the ground. Turiel remarked: “Beautiful sight.” Geron was about to agree when a Leman Russ battle tank came crashing through the nearby huts. Closely following were nine more, crushing a path through the base for platoons of Imperial Guardsmen to advance through. The lead tank halted in front of the Revenants, whilst the rest of the forces swept through the encampment massacring any heretics they found. Colonel MacMillan poked out of the tank’s hatch and spoke to the Revenants: “Was your mission a success milords?” Geron replied: “Not as much as we had hoped, but the bunker had been cleared. Have you signalled our brothers?” MacMillan nodded: “Aye, they’re on their way to retrieve you lord.” “Thank you Colonel, carry on.” MacMillan’s tank roared off to join the slaughter of the remaining heretics, who were attempting to flee across a large open plain to the south. A minute or so later a grey Thunderhawk approached the camp and hovered a few feet off the ground. The front ramp opened and Chief Librarian Trianon stood inside, he pulled the Revenants inside, the ramp eased shut and the Thunderhawk blasted off back to the orbiting Aspera Dominus. Inside the Thunderhawk, they relayed the events of the mission to Trianon. Once they finished he spoke up: “So it wasn’t Ashkenor I sensed...just his puppet....” Geron nodded: “I’m afraid so brother. Don’t worry, we’ll get him eventually.” The Revenants shared a moment of silence, Prekan especially focussing on his hatred for the chaos Sorcerer that shattered his cult. Kargos, who was leaning heavily against the side, suddenly interupted: “So, erm...yeah....don’t hurry up or anything, just bleeding out here, got half a chainsword in me, remember? Sheesh......” Category:Stories Narratives and Fluff